Within four years, more than 156,000 residents have left Kosovo, which accounts for 8.85% of the country’s population. It is estimated that by the end of 2022, over 949,000 residents are living outside the country.

According to the recently published data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, “Migration 2018-2022”, it is stated that out of the requests of Kosovo citizens for Schengen visa issuance, 84% of them were positive, while 16% were refused.

The report also mentions that the number of Kosovo citizens with residence permits for the first time in EU member states and the Schengen area continued to increase.

The number of citizens who were issued residence permits increased by 38.3% during this period, with the majority of them being for family reunification (46%) and employment purposes (36%), with most cases in Germany, Slovenia, and Croatia.

In 2022, 4,792 individuals renounced their Kosovo citizenship, while 62 were refused for not meeting legal criteria.

Out of the 4,792 persons who renounced their Kosovo citizenship in 2022, data shows that 4,211 (88%) are from Germany, 419 (8.7%) from Austria, 71 (1.5%) from Slovenia, and 91 (1.8%) from other countries.

The total number of expulsions of Kosovo citizens from EU member states and the Schengen area in 2022, according to countries, was registered in France 1,175 (27.6%), Slovenia 935 (22%), Croatia 560 (13.2%), Switzerland 290 (6.8%), Italy 270 (6.3%), and other countries 1,025 (24.1%).

Furthermore, the report indicates that over 5,000 Kosovo citizens were apprehended staying illegally in the territories of EU member states and the Schengen area in 2022.

This figure increased by 14% compared to 2021.